Chapter 16: Evaluation of the S-Class Forbidden Technique's Blast Effect (Part 1)
Konohagakure – Inside the Hokage's Office.
A shinobi from the Konoha Intelligence Division was currently briefing the Third Hokage on the latest developments at the frontlines.
"Right now, hostilities between Konoha and Amegakure have essentially come to a halt. Both sides are in a ceasefire state, and Hanzo the Salamander is reportedly preparing to surrender. We expect a delegation from Amegakure to arrive soon."
That was good news. The Third Hokage mulled it over, then gave his orders:
"We'll treat the ceasefire with Amegakure as tacit. Notify the command at the front—there's no need to push further into Amegakure. A firm defense will suffice. If Hanzo truly sends an envoy to sue for peace, let them through."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"As for the situation with Sunagakure—Tsunade is currently in command at the front. Though we're still outnumbered, the tide is turning. Our forces have moved from defensive to offensive, pushing the battlefield from the Land of Fire into the Land of Rivers, and now inching ever closer to the Wind Country's border."
"Excellent…" Things were improving on the Suna front. Sunagakure wasn't only fighting Konoha—they were under heavy pressure from Iwagakure in the north. At this stage, Suna's war potential had nearly run dry.
According to Konoha's overall strategy, they aimed to end the war in stages—first west, then north, and finally east. The immediate goal was to defeat Sunagakure, with three major defensive lines accordingly deployed.
Currently, only the Suna front was actively pressing. The other two fronts remained defensive. Of those, the northern line—facing the dual threats of Kumo and Iwa—had the most troops stationed. Konoha's forces would occasionally mount counterattacks there. As for the eastern line against Kirigakure, it remained in a strictly defensive posture.
The Third Hokage was just considering whether to reallocate forces to the Wind Country front and crush Sunagakure in one stroke when—
Boom—
A muffled explosion rang out—not loud, more like a giant letting out a stifled grunt. But in times of war, even a small sound could signal disaster. It might mean the village was under attack!
The Third Hokage shot to his feet.
"What's going on?!"
Four ANBU guards immediately appeared before him.
"Lord Hokage!"
The intelligence shinobi who had been reporting earlier pointed toward a shelf lined with scrolls.
One of the scrolls, for reasons unknown, had suddenly caught fire—burning quickly to ash. Then, bizarrely, two nearby scrolls also ignited one after another, even though they hadn't been in contact.
The Hokage's gaze flicked to the numeric codes beneath the scrolls, and he barked,
"Konoha Barrier—Zone Fifty-Nine!"
…
A few minutes earlier…
"Let's back up. Then back up some more. We're not sure of this technique's range yet—we need to stay safe," Kushina instructed.
"Understood, Kushina-sensei." Not that he needed reminding. Hagoromo had no intention of standing near an untested forbidden jutsu. He valued this second life of his too much to risk it.
The two of them retreated steadily, eventually reaching the surface of a nearby lake. They were now roughly 300 meters from the scroll—about as far as they could go while maintaining Kushina's chakra link to it.
"Ready? I'm starting!"
Kushina glanced at Hagoromo. Her arms were already raised, ready to form hand seals.
Hagoromo nodded. Months of effort had led to this moment. Now they'd see if the jutsu lived up to its design.
Kushina's seal work was swift—befitting her jonin-level skills. The moment Hagoromo nodded, her hands were in motion—and just as quickly stopped.
Hagoromo stared unblinking at the scroll. Then it began: from the scroll's position, a sphere of blackness rapidly expanded outward, forming a shadowy dome.
"Not good—run!"
The thing was expanding fast. It could easily engulf where Hagoromo was standing!
He only managed a couple steps before Kushina grabbed him.
"Calm down—it's already over."
From her perspective, the black sphere had extended to a 200-meter radius, held for a few seconds… then collapsed. Everything within it was sucked into the center. Then, like a soap bubble, it vanished—completely and silently.
Gone. No trace left behind.
But how could that be? That black sphere had a 200-meter diameter. Half of it was above ground—but the underground portion had carved out a perfect hemispherical crater!
The roar of rushing water followed. The lake was rapidly pouring into the pit.
"Test successful," Hagoromo said, calm once more—as if he hadn't just tried to flee in terror.
"Yeah, the sealing technique works. But now we've got a big problem," Kushina muttered.
They'd chosen the village's outermost edge for the trial to avoid harming anyone—but they hadn't expected the jutsu's effect to be this strong. It wasn't just a seal. It annihilated the space itself—everything within the target zone vanished, even the scroll that triggered it.
In other words, a huge portion of Konoha's barrier had been erased.
And sure enough—floating above the forest in midair—appeared a faint, glass-like crack in the village's protective dome.
No doubt about it. The massive dome-shaped barrier had been breached.
Hopefully, only partially—not completely.
Kushina and Hagoromo stood silently on the lake's surface.
From a chemical standpoint, ninjas are organic matter. They're not water-soluble. They're not oil-soluble. Therefore, they can stand on water.
And then—Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, arrived.
Four ANBU agents flanked him, stepping out onto the lake with grim expressions.